The invention relates to a system for recording and/or reproducing signals on or from magnetic tape in cassettes, which system comprises apparatus and associated cassettes having coplanar reels in conformity with a standard, transport of said magnetic tape being possible in a forward and a reverse direction to record and/or reproduce signals in respective longitudinal forward first track patterns and reverse second track patterns in first and second zones respectively situated adjacent each other over the length of the magnetic tape, so that in a starting position one of the reels is substantially full and the other reel is substantially empty and the magnetic tape is ready to start recording and/or reproduction of the first track pattern and is positioned at the end of the second track pattern, and in an intermediate position the other reel is substantially full and said one reel is substantially empty and the magnetic tape is positioned at the end of the first track pattern.
An example of such a system is the well-known Compact Cassette system which conforms with the international standard IEC 94-7. This system has been enormously successful, which has led to the sale of billions of cassettes and correspondingly huge quantities of associated cassette apparatus in the more than twenty years it has been on the market. Just like any other standard system, the Compact Cassette system leaves only limited room for improvements and innovations. This is because the standard prescribes the principal electrical, magnetic, mechanical and format parameters, so that within the standard it is not possible to deviate from these parameters, which are essential for the compatibility between the cassettes and apparatuses belonging to the system.
The Compact Cassette system was designed for the analog recording and reproduction of audio signals. In recent years there has been an important evolution in digital techniques for recording and reproducing audio signals. Digital techniques enable a substantially higher quality of sound reproduction to be achieved, so that in this respect the Compact Cassette system may be regarded as outmoded. In order to meet consumer demand for a system capable of recording/reproducing digital audio signals on magnetic tape cassettes new systems have been proposed which conform with new standards, comprising new forms of cassette and associated new apparatus. In principle, a new digital audio system could employ conventional apparatus and conventional cassettes in conformity with an existing standard, requiring the necessary modifications to the apparatus and perhaps the use of a different type of magnetic tape. However, the resulting confusion amongst consumers, who would no longer know which cassette to use in which apparatus, would be likely to invoke an antagonistic response from the consumer, not only with respect to the new digital but even with respect to the conventional analog systems.
A new standard deviates from the conventional standard. This makes it necessary for the consumer to purchase new equipment with associated new cassettes. This represents a considerable investment, in particular because the manufacture of the new equipment and the new cassettes requires investment by the manufacturer, leading to higher prices, in particular upon the introduction of a new system. The manufacturer needs time to gain experience with the manufacture of the new products. Therefore, cut-backs in costs through rationalisations and increased production are to be envisaged only after a long period of time. New systems, such as new digital audio systems but for basically the same reasons also other new systems, may thus meet with failure already in the initial stage. The large initial investments made in the development and the start of production may then be regarded as lost, at least partly.
In practice it has been found that systems of the type defined in the opening paragraph are generally succeeded by new systems which are technically more advanced. For example, besides the analog Compact Cassette system the new RDAT system for digital audio recording has appeared on the market. The entirely new cassette differs significantly from the Compact Cassette. The magnetic tape which it employs is protected far more effectively against dust and dirt because the cassette is non-reversible and therefore one of the main walls is imperforate and because the cassette is fully closed by means of a slide and a shutter when the cassette is not located in an associated apparatus. The magnetic tape in the cassette is of a higher quality than is customary for the Compact Cassette. The tracks on the magnetic tape are of small dimensions. As a result of this, adequate protection of the magnetic tape against environmental effects has become more important.
A difference with the Compact Cassette system is that in the RDAT system the cassette is non-reversible. Once the (music) programme on the magnetic tape has been played back the magnetic tape has to be rewound to starting position before the programme can be repeated. This is a disadvantage of the RDAT system in comparison with the conventional Compact Cassette system. Indeed, in the Compact Cassette system the cassettes are reversible and can be played back in both directions so that when the end of the magnetic tape is reached after a programme has been played back in one direction the tape can be played in the other direction by reversing the cassette. Thus, at the end of the complete programme the magnetic tape has arrived at the beginning and after reversal it is ready for replaying the programme. The time-consuming and annoying procedure of completely rewinding the magnetic tape from the end to the beginning is therefore not necessary in the case of the Compact Cassette.